Rubber overshoe



Wovl 18, 1958 w. c. JACKSON 2,850,425

RUBBER OVERSHOE Filed June 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l [NV TOR W fizz-eveJ Mm BY ww igi MM AT RNEYS United States Patent M RUBBER OVERSHOE Walter'C. Jackson, Mountainside, N. J., assignor to gingley RubberCorporation, a corporation of New ersey Application June 17, 1955,Serial No. 516,183

3 Claims. (Cl. 36-7.3)

The present invention relates to an improvement in overshoes, andparticularly to that type of overshoe made entirely of elastic material,such as natural or synthetic rubber.

In U. S. Patent No. 2,617,209, there is disclosed an overshoe, which ismade entirely of one piece of elastic material such as rubber, and whichis designed to enable an overshoe of one size to be stretched bothlengthwise and sidewise to fit properly over inner shoes of differentsizes within a definite prescribed range. This overshoe was designed tofit an inner shoe with a heel of substan' tial height, and for thatpurpose had a prominent heel and a heel conjointly presenting asubstantially flat continuous bottom surface. Childrens shoes are, forexample, of this type, and such shoes do not lend themselves to use inconnection with a rubber overshoe of the heel socket type describedabove.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedovershoe, which is designed to fit properly over inner shoes ofdifferent sizes within a prescribed range and which is of the type inwhich the heel, if any, is not prominent enough to project down to anysubstantial depth.

' In the aforesaid patent and in U. S. Patent No. 2,254,685, the upperpart of the shoe, which is made entirely of elastic material, such asrubber, is provided with tension and reinforcing strips, gussets andinstep tongues, designed to perm'it'the overshoe to fit properly overinner shoes of different sizes within the prescribed range.

- Another object of the present invention is to provide an overshoeof'the improved type described, which although designed to accommodateinner shoes of the low or flat heel type, still permits retention of thefeaturesof the upper part of the overshoe disclosed in the aforesaidpatents.

In any overshoe, the sole and heel parts are subjected to the greatestwear due to walking, while the shank part therebetween, being setupwardly to accommodate the arched shank in the inner shoe, receivesmuch less wear. Also, as a person Walks, the sole and heel parts oftheovershoe tend to remain substantially flat, while the shank partbends with the bending of the foot.

The present invention takes these factors into consideration inincorporating, in the overshoe, features by which the overshoe may bemade to fit properly over inner shoes of the low or flat heel type andof different; sizes within the prescribed range. To that end, theovershoeis ,madeentirelyjof; one piece of elastic material, such asrubber, and the shank part of the overshoe near 2,850,425 Patented Nov.18, 158

ICC

the heel part is provided on its inner face with a channel extendingcrosswise of the shoe and serving to thin out the shank part along saidchannel. The overshoe so constructed can be stretched lengthwise to fitthe inner shoe, the overshoe yielding elastically across the channel tofit snugly the inner shoe. The overshoe is con structed, designed anddimensioned to fit snugly over an inner shoe of minimum size with littleor no stretching of the shank part of the overshoe across the channelthereon, and to stretch lengthwise and across said channel to aprogressively increasing extent with inner shoes of larger sizes withinthe prescribed range. The size of the overshoe is such, in relation tothe sizes of the inner shoes it is designed to fit, that the channel inthe shank part of the overshoe will stretch to the maximum degreeallowable Without stressing said channel to the extent of materiallyshortening the life of the overshoe, without rendering the overshoeuncomfortable to wear and without making it difficult to pull theovershoe on and off the inner shoe.

Since the overshoe is thinned out in its shank part where there is aminimum of walking wear, While the parts requiring strength and body forwear are not affected, the life of the overshoe is not materiallyimpaired. Moreover, the thinned-out part of the overshoe is near theregion where the overshoe usually bends with the foot in the process ofWalking, so that the channel in said region forms a hinge by which suchbending is facilitated, thereby affording greater walking ease.

The channel can be provided in the shank part of the overshoe duringmanufacture without employing any special step, by merely molding theovershoe with the channel formed therein.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention areapparent from the following description and from the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an overshoe made'inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of one side of the overshoe;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the overshoe;

' Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the overshoe taken along lines 4-4of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the overshoe taken along the lines 5-5of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail section of the shank part of the overshoe across thethinned-out channel section, before the overshoe has been stretched tofit over an inner shoe;

Fig. 7 is a detail section of the shank part of the overshoe similar tothat of Fig. 6 but shown while the overshoe is stretched to fit an innershoe of the larger size Within the prescribed range;

Fig. 8 is a detail section of the instep tongue of the Y overshoe takenalong lines 8-8 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 9 is a detail section of the overshoe taken along lines 9-9 of Fig.2.

Referring to the drawings, the overshoe of the present invention (shownof the storm type) is free of fabric reinforcements and is made of onepiece of elastic material, preferably vulcanized rubber (natural orsynthetic), elastic enough to permit it to stretch to such an extentthat one size of overshoe will fit several different sizes of innershoes within a prescribed range. The-overshoe is shown of the typeadapted to fit childrens inner shoes in which the heel is very low orflat. Four different sizes of overshoe may be provided to take care ofall juvenile sizes of inner shoes from 6 /2 to 12 /2. For example, thefirst size of overshoe may be designed to fit juvenile inner shoes from6 /2 to 8; the second size of overshoe may be designed to fit juvenileinner shoes from 8 to 9 /2; the third size of overshoe may be designedto fit juvenile inner shoes from 9 /2 to 11; and the fourth size ofovershoe may be designed to fit juvenile inner shoes'from 11 to 12 /2.These size ranges are illustrative only and may differ according to thelast.

The overshoe shown in the drawings comprises at the lower base part asole 10, a shank 11 and a heel 12 and at the upper part a toe 13, a vamp14, an instep tongue and acou'nter 16 connected to said toe and saidvamp by sides 17 and 18.

When the overshoe is stretched over the inner shoe, the side edges ofsaid overshoe tend to disten-d in a straight line between the extremeside points of the toe and counter of the inner shoe, leaving openingsbetween the side walls 17 and 18 of the overshoe and the correspondingside walls of the inner shoe, especially in the region of the shank orarch. These openings afford access to water,rain or snow, so that theovershoe does not perform properly its intended function.

On the other hand, if the overshoe is of such size that its upper is notstretched enough to pull its side walls away from the corresponding sidewalls of the inner shoe, these side walls of the overshoe, nevertheless,buckle down or pucker outwardly away from the side walls of the innershoe when the latter bends as the weight is shifted from the heel to thetoe in walking. The result is that the overshoe does not fully protectthe inner shoe against the elements of inclement weather.

To overcome these disadvantages, the overshoe is provided with tensionstrips 20 and 21 formed by the thickening up of the web from which theovershoe is made and diverging from opposite sides of the shank 11 upthe sides 17 and 18 of the overshoe. The tension strip 20 extends fromone side of the shank 11 rearwardly and upwardly along one side 17 ofthe overshoe, runs around the top margin of the counter 16 and extendsdownwardly and forwardly towards the other side of said shank on theopposite side 18 of the overshoe. At its rearmost portion, the counter16 is formed with a thickened reinforcing strip 23, merging with thetension strip 20 at the top of the counter and extending verticallydownwardly there'- from.

At its base, the counter 16 is formed at each side with a thickenedreinforcing strip 25, rising from the heel 12 and extending rearwardlyto merge with the vertical reinforcing strip 23.

The tension strip 21 extends from one side of the shank 11 forwardly andupwardly along one side 17 of the overshoe towards the base of thetongue 15, and acutely turns near this base, to merge into a thickenedbinding strip 26 running around the margin of said tongue to theopposite side 18 of the overshoe. At this opposite side 18, the bindingstrip 26 acutely turns near the base of the tongue to merge with thetension strip 21 on said side of the overshoe. The tension strip 21 onthis side 18 of the overshoe extends downwardly and rearwardly to thecorresponding side of the shank 11.

The shank 11 is thickened at its opposite sides and these thickenedareas serve as anchorages for the ends of the tension strips and 21.These tension strips 20 and 21 have their ends extending in overlappingrelation where they anchor to the shank 11. The tension strip 20 iscomparatively thick at its anchorage in the shank 11 and decreases inthickness until it merges into the rear reinforcing strip 23.

Where the tension strips 20 and 21 diverge from the shank 11 on eachside of the overshoe, they define a substantially triangular section 30,which is thinner than the web at the tension strip sections and which,therefore, is more readily stretchable than said latter sections,permitting thereby the mouth margin of the overshoe to expand readilywhen applied to inner shoes of differentsizes within the allowablerange, and aiding in contracting said mouth margin on the inner shoewhen in use. By increasing the thickness along the top edge of thetriangular section 30, this top section will hug the inner shoe tighter.

The toe 13 has extra reinforcement 31, which not only adds to theornamental appearance of the overshoe, but

' provides a greater thickness of material affording protection againstscufling and wear in those overshoe regions subjected to heavy duty.This toe reinforcement 31 also serves to maintain the toe 13 againstcollapse when the overshoe is not in use.

The tension strips 20 and 21, being adapted to stretch when the overshoeis applied, offer greater resistance to stretch in the localized areasof these strips and are, therefore, placed under greater tension,thereby hugging closely the sides of the inner shoe.

The reinforcing strip 23 at the rear of the counter 16 serves to preventsaid counter from curling when the overshoe is not in use, and thereinforcing strips 25 at the base and sides of said counter provide forgreater wear in these regions of the counter, add to the ornamentalappearance of the overshoe, and cooperate with the rear counter strip 23to prevent said counter from curling when not in use.

The tongue 15 is constructed to maintain its shape against curling, toflex and yield easily when the overshoe is applied to an inner shoe andto hug closely and protectively the instep of the inner shoe when saidovershoe is applied to said inner shoe. To that end, the tongue 15 hasits thickness gradually increasing throughout its Width from its baseupwardly towards its free end, as shown in Fig. 4, so that when theovershoe is not in use, said tongue will maintain its fully extendedshape, and so that when the overshoe is being applied, the tongue can befreely bent forwardly about its base to permit the inner shoe to entereasily into the overshoe. After the inner shoe has been inserted intothe overshoe, the tongue will snap back into its correct fully extendedposition. Moreover, by not thickening the base of the tongue 15, thevamp 14 of the overshoe is made more easily stretchable to fit snuglyover inner shoes of different sizes within the prescribed range.

The binding strip 26 around the tongue 15 not only adds to theornamental appearance of the overshoe, but also aids in imparting formsustaining rigidity to said tongue when not in use, without materiallyresisting the bending of said tongue forwardly in the process ofapplying said overshoe and, in addition, affords reinforcement againsttear. A bead 33 around the mouth margin of the overshoe and around theedge of the tongue 15 assists in this latter function, besides enhancingthe ornamental appearance of the overshoe.

The tongue 15 is shaped with its sides 36 extending at a general anglewith each other smaller than the general angle between the sides of theinstep of the inner shoes to which the overshoe is adapted to fit. Tomaintain such angularity between the sides of the tongue 15, thethickness of the longitudinal medial region 37 of the tongue along itslength from the free end thereofto a region short of its base is greaterthan that of its sides 36, this thickness tapering from said medialregion sideways to regions between said medial region and the side edges33 of said tongue and then increasing to said side edges. The outersurfaces 38 of the tongue sides 36 converge towards a comparativelysharp apex 40 to set the angularity of said tongue sides, while theinner surfaces 41 of said tongue sides are joined at the medial region37 of the tongue by a curved surface 42 for close conforming engagementof said tongue with the instep of the inner shoe, when the overshoe isapplied thereto.

With the angularity of the sides 36 of the tongue 15 set so acutely withrespect to the angularity of the sides of the instep of the inner shoe,when the overshoe is applied to the inner shoe, these tongue sides willspread about the medial region 37 of said tongue, will hug the instep ofthe inner shoe and will shape themselves to conform therewith.

The medial region 37 of the tongue 15, thickened as described, servesnot only for the purpose indicated, but

also serves as a reinforcing rib to impart form sustaining rigidity tosaid tongue when not in use.

On each side of the overshoe, where the tension strip 21 and the bindingstrip 26-merge at the base of the tongue 15, they form an acute bend 43,and between the sides or arms of said bend, there is defined asubstantially V or triangular section 44 of unthickened web, serving asan elastic gusset, by which said tongue may be easily bent forwardly,and the mouth margin of the overshoe stretched or expanded to fit aninner shoe during the process of applying said overshoe to said innershoe. These elastic gusset sections 44 also serve to constrict the mouthmargin of the overshoe over the inner .shoe' when said overshoe has beenfully applied.

The thickened side arms of each bend 43 flanking the correspondingelastic gusset section 44 act like a V- shaped spring affordingresistance to the pull on the tension strip 21 and the thin triangularsection 30. Since molded rubber always tends to return to its moldedshape, this characteristic aids the elastic gusset section 44,especially on small size overshoes, in hugging the inner shoe closely.

The bottom wall 50 of the overshoe heel 12 has a pair of curved ribs 51and 52 of substantial concentricity, as shown more fully in Fig. 3. Thesmaller or inner rib 51 is curved to receive the pressure from the rearregion of the heel of the smallest inner shoe which the overshoe isdesigned to accommodate and the larger or outer rib 52 is curved toreceive the pressure from the rear region of the heel of the largestinner shoe which the overshoe is designed to accommodate. The wearing orcutting action of the inner shoe heel on the bottom heel wall 50 of theovershoe is thus eifectively resisted.

. The ribs 51 and 52 serve not only to resist the cutting action of theinner shoe heel thereon, but also serve as reinforcements againstordinary abrasive wear at the regions where such wear is likely to beheaviest. By providing two spaced ribs 51 and 52 instead of a single ribof combined width, the flexibility of the bottom heel wall 50 ismaintained. The sole at its forward end is pro vided with a curved rib53 to withstand wear at this end of the overshoe. Besides the ribs 51,52 and 53, the bottom of the sole 10 and of the heel 12 is provided witha tread design 54 for anti-skid purposes.

The features of the overshoe so far described, cooperate with thefeatures to be described, in permitting the overshoe to stretch and toaccommodate itself comfortably and with a close conforming fit to innershoes of different sizes within the prescribed range and in maintainingsuch conforming fit even during walking action.

Since the overshoe is intended to be stretched lengthwise over the innershoes especially of the larger sizes within the prescribed range, andsince the inner shoe has no prominent heel to afford firm anchorage, asin the aforesaid Patent No. 2,617,209, some means must be provided toallow for the stretching of the overshoe lengthwise for the purposeindicated. If the lower part of the overshoe is thinned out along itsfull length for the purpose, then the resulting reduction in the body ofthe sole 10 and heel 12, which are subjected to the greatest wear in theovershoe, will result in the shortening of the life of the overshoe to asubstantial extent.

As a feature of the present invention, the thickness of the sole 10 andthe heel 12 is not disturbed from that in normal practice, while theshank 11, which curves upward out of the plane of the sole and heel, tofollow I the arching of the shank in the inner shoe, and which thereforeis subjected to little wear compared to the wear in the sole and heel,has a transverse region thinned out to permit said region to stretchelastically and easily and to cause the overshoe thereby to fit theinner shoes of different sizes within the prescribed range. For thatpurpose, the shank 11 has on its inner face, near the inner 'or forwardend of the heel 12, a. channel 55, which is molded in the overshoe inits vulcanization, and which extends across substantially the full widthof the shank. This channel 55 is wide enough to afiord sufiicientelastic material for stretching, without unduly thinning out thematerial. More specifically, this channel 55 has a base wall ofsubstantially uniform thickness substantially throughout its extent, thethickness of this base wall being substantially less than the thicknessof the shank 11 on opposite sides of said channel to cause the overshoeto be easily stretched lengthwise at the lower part mainly across saidchannel to fit the inner shoes. The Width of the channel 55 is less thanone-half the length of the shank 11 between the heel 12 and the sole 10but is great enough to afford substantial stretch area by which theovershoe may be easily stretched lengthwise to fit the largest innershoe in the prescribed range of inner shoes which the overshoe isadapted to fit, while still affording snug hold on the smallest shoewithin said prescribed range. As a specific example, the channel 55 maybe about inch wide for juvenile overshoes of the type indicated above toaccommodate inner shoes from juvenile sizes 6 /2 to 12 /2.

The tension strips 20 and 21, the reinforcing strips 23 and 25 and theinstep tongue structure with its gusset sides 44, serve to cause theovershoe to hug the inner shoe with close conforming fit, especiallyaround the opening of the overshoe, while the channel 55 affords themeans by which the overshoe can be stretched lengthwise to accommodateinner shoes of different sizes within the prescribed range, Withoutstretching the parts requiring body and strength for long wear. Thedifferent fea-- tures described thereby cooperate in assuring proper fitof the overshoe on the inner shoes of different sizes within theprescribed range.

- The channel 55 is near the forward end of the heel 12 and the tensionstrip 20 is anchored to the opposite sides of the shank 11 and to theunderside of the shank on the forward side of the channel.

In walking, the overshoe bends with the inner shoe and foot, especiallyabout a region of the shank near the inner end of theheel. The channel55 in the shank of the overshoe near this region, affording athinned-out section, facilitates bending about this region and therebyadds to the comfort of the overshoe.

The size of the overshoe is such with respect to the size of the innershoe it is designed to fit, that the overshoe' fits the inner shoe ofminimum size within the prescribed size range, with little or nostretching of the overshoe lengthwise in the region of the channel 55.In this minimum condition of stress, the channeled section of theovershoe will be substantially in the form shown in Fig. 6. When theovershoe is applied to larger inner shoes within the prescribed range,the arched section of the shank 11 will straighten out, and the sectionof the shank in the channel 55 will stretch, as illustrated in Fig. 7.Hence, the lengthening of the overshoe will result partly from thestraightening out of the arched part of the shank 11 of the overshoe butit is due primarily to the elastic stretching of the shank 11 of theovershoe in the region of the channel 55.

In certain types of inner shoes, and especially childrens inner shoes,such as the inner shoe 60 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the rim 61 ofthe heel part of the inner shoe along the sides and the rear projectsoutwardly beyond the upper part ofthe inner shoe. To receive thisprojecting heel part of the inner shoe somewhat snugly, the heel 12 ofthe overshoe bulges outwardly along the sides and rear to form aperipheral recess 62 into which the projecting part of the heel of theinner shoe can extend. The strip 25 around this heel 12 reinforces thewalls of the recess 62 therein. The heel 12 of the overshoe soconstructed will retain its form against deformation, even though thechannel part of the shank 11 has been stretched to fit the larger innershoes within the prescribed size range of the overshoe.

While the invention has been described with partic- 7 ular reference toa specific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to belimited thereto, but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1; An overshoe for childrens inner shoes of various sizes within alimited prescribed range and of the type in which the heel rim projectsalong the sides and rear outwardly from the upper part of the innershoe, said overshoe consisting entirely of one piece of elastic materialof uniform composition and having a substantially flat lower partconsisting of a sole, a heel and an intervening shank, said heel bulgingoutward along the sides and rear to form a peripheral recess into whichthe projecting part of the heel of the inner shoe is adapted to extendwith a substantially snug fit, the wall of said recess around the sidesand rear having a reinforcing strip on the outside, said shank having achannel extending substantially across its full width and having a Widthless than half the length of the shank between the heel and the sole,said channel having a base wall of substantially uniform thickness andforming a substantially uniform thinned-out section of the shankaffording reduced resistance by whichthe overshoe can be stretchedlengthwise at the lower part mainly along said thinned-out section tofit said inner shoes of various sizes within a limited prescribed rangewhile said heel retains substantially its form, size and shape.

2. An overshoe for inner shoes of various sizes within a limitedprescribed range consisting entirely of elastic material of uniformcomposition and having a lower part consisting of a sole, a heel and anintervening shank, said shank having a channel extending substantiallyacross the full width thereof and having a base wall of substantiallyuniform thickness substantially throughout its extent,- the thickness ofsaid base wall being substantially less than the thickness of the shankon opposite sides of said channel to cause said overshoe to be easilystretched lengthwise at the lower part mainly across said channel to fitsaid shoes, the width of said channel being less than one-half thelength of the shank between the heel and the sole but great enough toafford substantial stretch area by which the overshoe may be easilystretched lengthwise to fit the largest inner shoe in said prescribedrange, While still affording snug hold on the smallest inner shoe withinsaid prescribed range.

3. An overshoe as described in claim 2 wherein the overshoe includes anupper part with a counter, and said channel is on the inner face of theshank near the forward end of the heel, and wherein said overshoeincludes a tension strip anchored to the opposite sides of the shank andto the underside of the shank on the forward side of the channel andextending therefrom up the side portions of the upper part of theovershoe and around the top edge of said counter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS368,663 Fry et al Aug. 23, 1887 1,841,710 Byrrie et a1 Jan. 19, 19321,854,969 Walsh Apr. 19, 1932 2,108,656 De Noronha Feb. 15, 19382,132,523 Berry Oct. 11, 1938 2,254,685 Jackson Sept. 2, 1941 2,257,902De Noronha Oct. 7, 1941 2,617,209 Jackson Nov. 11, 1952

